Tottenham Hotspur have a new creator-in-chief in their ranks for the 2023-24 season, as James Maddison's £40m arrival from Leicester City was confirmed on Wednesday evening.
The England international has committed to fashioning chances for his Lilywhites teammates for the next five years, while no doubt chipping in with a few efforts himself, having hit double figures in Leicester's dismal 2022-23 season.
Maddison's 10 goals and nine assists were ultimately not enough to keep the Foxes afloat in the top flight, but the Spurs faithful have unsurprisingly hailed the 26-year-old's arrival, having witnessed their team struggle for ingenuity during the Antonio Conte era.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at which shirt numbers could be available to Maddison at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Upon his arrival at the King Power Stadium from Norwich City in 2018, Maddison was immediately bestowed with the number 10 shirt, and with 55 goals and 41 assists in 203 games for the Foxes, it is fair to say that the 26-year-old did the jersey justice.
There are few teams that would not consider Maddison for the '10', but that number is arguably the most difficult to get hold of at Tottenham, where it has been emblazoned on the back of Harry Kane's shirt since the 2015-16 campaign.
Speculation surrounding Kane's future will not let up while he runs down his contract at Tottenham, and having already confirmed Guglielmo Vicario's number - handing the goalkeeper the 13 jersey - Spurs may very well be waiting to see how the Kane saga unfolds before assigning Maddison his shirt.
Should either Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain lure Kane away from Tottenham, Maddison would have a clear run at the number 10, but with Daniel Levy affirming that his star striker is not for sale, the ex-Leicester man may have to consider other options.
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Luckily for Maddison, the number eight shirt should be available for the 2023-24 season, as its most recent occupant - Harry Winks - is set to head in the opposite direction to his compatriot and join Leicester from Tottenham.
Taking the '8' would see Maddison follow in the footsteps of Paul Gascoigne and all-time leading appearance maker Steve Perryman, and the 26-year-old is no stranger to the number, having donned the same shirt briefly for the England Under-21s.
Recently, Maddison has sported the number 11 for England at senior level, and that number could be up for grabs at Spurs if its current incumbent Bryan Gil decides to advance his career elsewhere, while the '18' is another option depending on Giovani Lo Celso's next career move.
While making a name for himself at Norwich, Maddison donned the 23 and 28 jerseys, and while the former shirt is in Pedro Porro's possession, the latter will be awaiting its next taker if Tanguy Ndombele completes an expected move away.
Maddison could also go back to the '36' that he sported during his Coventry City breakthrough, but no Tottenham player since Bongani Khumalo - who did not ever make a competitive appearance for the club between 2011 and 2015 - has worn that number for the Lilywhites.
> Click here to see how Tottenham could line up with Maddison
Ben Knapton
